I admit that I wasn’t sure how to title this Happy, Healthy skin chat that I wanted to have.
Just typing that makes me think that hey maybe that maybe that’s not a bad title. The Happy Healthy Skin Chat.
So please bear with me as I get a little chatty.
The Happy Healthy Skin chat.
Why did I choose to share my thoughts on how to have happy healthy skin?
Because in my 10 years in the beauty industry there is this question (or different variations thereof) that always seem to pop up from my clients.
It goes something like “which skin care is the best to use”, “which brand is the ultimate solution for xyz”, “which is the foundation to use because my skin is xyz”. .
It’s a great question as we all have concerns about our skin but what it all comes down to… all we really want, is happy healthy and glowing skin. (and frankly my dear that is exactly what you deserve)
Therefore we are always looking for that one product that is going to fix everything…
While I fully believe in and can go on forever about the power of a great skincare routine and investing in good makeup products it takes more than that to achieve healthy and happy skin.
Although the question is always similar the answer always vary greatly because there are so many different things that influence what is the best for each individual. But before we get into product or ingredient specifics lets take a step back and consider these 5 points in my best effort to help you achieve your happiest and healthiest skin yet.
I feel like a good starting point is learning how to keeping your skin happy. When the skin is happy it glows. Kind of like how we are when we are happy we start glowing…
So without another word let’s get into it,
1. Understand your skin.
It all starts here. You got to get up close and personal with your skin to be able to make it happy and healthy
How well you understand your skin will affect how healthy your skin will be. It will also effect what skincare you choose to purchase, how you treat your skin and what results you will achieve.
To understand your skin you need to discover two things:
Firstly your skin type and then secondly your skin condition.
These two differ greatly and people often get them confused.
When we talk about skin type – this means what type of skin we are born with. Our skin type is determined by our genetics.
Skin condition refers to “state” or what condition our skin is in due to external factors. Factors such as; what we apply to our skins, our environment , our age and so on.
So once you successfully understand your skin type and when you work with it, your skins’ condition can change a lot. When you become aware of the daily environmental factors your skin faces you can address those conditions accordingly
Therefore mastering the challenge of understanding your skin, will allow you to get the most out of your skin care routine as well as your makeup routine. And then of course you will get more bang for your buck.
2. Listen to your skin.
Once you have gotten to know your skin better by finding out what skin type you have. You can start focusing on listening to your skins’ needs. Which can change daily depending on your lifestyle, the weather, your diet and medication. So many things affect our skin needs.
Thankfully your skin is good at communicating you just need to listen –
- Here are a few common things to look out for:
- Dryness or patchy skin – skin needs exfoliation / moisture and hydration
- Redness – skin needs soothing / barrier care / stripping back on routine
- Dullness/ lack lustre – skin needs vitamins such as vita C
- Black heads – skin needs decongestion
- Fine lines – skin needs hydration
Sometimes our best intentions can have the opposite effect and leave our skin unhappy.
A good example would be exfoliating. No new news that exfoliating helps to improve skin texture by getting rid off dead skin cells and revealing new glowing skin but doing it daily or too often can lead to over exfoliation which can compromise the skin barrier which results in distressed ,dehydrated and dull skin.
Therefore if you listening to your skin you will be able to customize your skin care regime thus only giving your skin what it needs when it needs it.
3. Know what you are putting into your skin.
I don’t know about you, but I would never eat a sandwich without knowing exactly what is on it. I am just not up for that kind of surprise – ever.. Eeek, just the thought of that makes me cringe.
The same goes for what I put on my face…
Neither am I talking about the current skincare buzz words or popular ingredients like Retinol, Niacinamide , Hyaluronic Acid and Vitamin C. I’m also not just referring to the key product usually featured on the front of the bottle by saying something like “ with Shea Butter” or “enriched with vitamin E”
I have to point out that this isn’t about vegan or cruelty free products. Nor about benefits or dangers of certain ingredients. It is simply about knowing exactly what is in your products whichever products you choose to use …
I am referring to the ingredient list at the back of the bottle…to the common skin care ingredients that makeup the rest and sometimes the most of the ingredient list.
Aqua, Butylene Glycol, Glycerin, Sodium Lauryl Sulphate , Sodium Laureth Sulphate, Dimethicone, Cetyl Alcohol Limonene, Linalool ,and such..
They all play a role in how our skin reacts to the products.
Once you start paying attention to what you are putting into your skin you will be able to see which ingredients work well with and which don’t gel with your skin. Thus knowing what ingredients to avoid and what products to invest in.
4.Invest in your skin.
Firstly, you need to invest your time. Our most valuable commodity – and why not spend a little bit on yourself? Consistency with skincare has a great impact on our overall skin health. Similar to our our diet habits.
I find that it can be a whole lot easier to commit to skincare if you have a simplified routine that you turn into a habit.
Be realistic about how much time you have and work out a routine that suites your time and skin needs. Personally, I like to keep it straight forward in the morning and spend a bit more time at night.
Secondly it is worthwhile investing money in your skincare as you will wear your skin for the rest of your life.
It needn’t be expensive especially once you have come to understand your skin, listen to your skin and know your ingredients you can really have a precise and effective skincare routine that works for you.
5. Protect your skin.
Personally I feel like we spend so much time obsessing about how we want our skin to look that we tend to forget our skins number 1 function.
Which is to protect, detox and regulate body temperature
Compromised skin barrier is what leads to many of our skin complaints. Such as Dullness, dehydration, redness and irritations, flakiness, breakouts and much more.
To protect your skin isn’t a hefty task but it is something we have to be dedicated to daily.
My top trusted tips for protect your skin:
(coming from a ginger using actives and whom lives by the beach…)
- Don’t overdo it – overzealous cleansing and exfoliating can quickly lead to an unhappy skin barrier.
- Always apply sunblock & if you are outdoors reapply.
- Finishing of your skin regime with a great moisturizer / oil to seal hydration.
- Good water intake is also crucial for your skin to function at its best.
- Wearing breathable materials and large hats in summer
Protect your skin barrier so it can protect you and you will definitely have a happier healthier skin.
With all that being said I think I ought to wrap up the chat here. I hope that this kicks start yout Happy & Healthy skin journey.
If you found this helpful please let me know. I would love to hear about your experience and answer any questions you might have any.
Much love
Elscha
